Assistant Director, Wilderness Programs

Job Title: Assistant Director, Wilderness Programs
Department: At-Camp Team
Reports to: Camp Director
Salary Range: $80,000-$88,000
Location: San Francisco/Groveland

About Tawonga

Tawonga’s mission is to provide educational and recreational programs for children, adults and families that foster self-esteem, lifelong friendships and community, connections with nature, commitment to justice, and positive Jewish identity and spirituality. We run programs at our residential campsite next to Yosemite National Park and in the Bay Area, serving over 5,000 people a year.

About Camp Tawonga’s Culture

At Camp Tawonga, we are a caring, collaborative, joyous group of professionals who take great pride in fulfilling our mission and having fun while doing it. We have deep respect for our community, the children and the families who participate in our programs; for nature and the physical world; and for Jewish value of “tikkun olam” – repairing the world. Our team has taken many different paths to arrive at Tawonga, from growing up as campers at Camp to others who have never before been involved with a summer camp. We are a Jewish organization, and we welcome and are inclusive of all staff and community members, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. We are committed to JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) and the ongoing reflection, learning and action required to be aligned with these values and create and sustain an equity culture.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Camp Tawonga is an Equal Opportunity Employer, values diversity and is committed to being an inclusive environment for all employees. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills, and to hiring people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and women. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and organizational need.

Job Purpose and Description

The Assistant Director, Wilderness Programs is a key part of Camp Tawonga’s program team. This position contributes to the mission of Camp Tawonga by managing and overseeing all aspects of our Wilderness Programs (includes our backpacking trips, “Teva” (nature) or naturalist programs, Farm and Garden programs, Challenge Course (including high elements using belay systems), and “Quests” (our adventure trips). This position also oversees risk management for all wilderness departments and transportation, serves as an at-camp Director during the summer season and partners with other key program staff members to co-direct our weekend at-Camp programs and Bay Area Programs as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Direct supervision of our wilderness staff and supervisors, at Camp and on the road during Quests
Supervises Backpacking and Quest Supervisors, Challenge Course Manager, Teva Supervisor and Farm and Garden Manager
Help plan and lead supervisor and staff training
Plan and co-facilitate wilderness staff training week with wilderness supervisors
Supervise additional departments and staff as needed

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Wilderness Programs

Responsible for Wilderness Department staff assignments, observation, feedback and evaluation
Manage wilderness staff recruitment and hiring, including conducting interviews and performing reference checks.
Overall responsibility for Wilderness staff training including design, implementation and ongoing evaluation of training programs and materials
Manage relationships between Wilderness Department and other departments at Camp
Manage external agency relationships with National Parks
Supervise Backpacking program, including risk management, staff, logistics, equipment and evaluation
Supervise Quest program, including planning, enrollment, risk management, training Quest leaders, overseeing parent communication regarding Quest and interfacing with outfitters
Oversee and supervise all aspects of the Challenge Course (aka “Ropes Course”) program, including risk management; course construction and repairs, inspections, and equipment; staff training, certification and supervision; establishing local operating procedures for all elements; and evaluating the program structure.
Supervise Teva (Nature) and Farm and Garden programs at Camp, including staff training and supervision and ensuring high quality programming
Provide leadership, guidance, and ongoing support for the expansion of the farm and garden
Serve on management team with other year-round directors to ensure excellence in all aspects of operations and program delivery
Innovate and evaluate wilderness programs on a yearly basis.

Wilderness Administration

Organize all logistics for adventure travel programs (Quests) with careful attention to detail. This includes creating and updating itineraries, tracking reservations, and compiling day-by-day Quest binders.
Secure reservations for campgrounds, outfitters, flights and other Quest-related needs, occasionally reserving online at 7 a.m. to secure spots as soon as they become available. Track expenses, and organize reservations, receipts and invoices.
Create and update a spreadsheet of wilderness permits needed for Camp’s backpacking program, securing permits with Yosemite National Park.
Work with vendors to reserve satellite phones and renew contracts. Follow up to ensure charges are accurate and that invoices are paid promptly.
Assist with staff recruitment by maintaining online postings for seasonal positions, creating targeted email campaigns, and recruiting former staff to return for seasonal work.

Summer Camp & Family Camp Hiring

Direct two to three weekend programs per year and lead other year-round programming, such as family hikes in the Bay Area, as needed
As part of the hiring team with other directors, ensure recruitment and hiring of outstanding staff:
- Source and recruit staff applicants, conduct interviews, and check references
- Select and hire seasonal staff.
- Partner with Human Resources to ensure timely completion of new hire paperwork, contracts, and other required staff forms are completed

At-Camp Director

Spend summers at Camp Tawonga as a key part of the at-Camp director team, supervising three to six departments and sharing responsibility for camper management, staff management, parent communication, overall tone-setting, and leadership
Serve as a positive and responsible role model for campers and staff at all times
Meet daily during the summer, and bi-weekly during the year, with other directors to manage camper and staff issues, program plans, and logistics
Manage Camp logistics as assigned and partner with other directors to arrange coverage for one another during time off
Communicate with parents, lead outreach events, and respond to parent questions and feedback about Quest, backpacking trips, and general camper experience

Other Responsibilities

Oversee ordering of all supplies for wilderness department
Oversee annual inspection of challenge course, build new elements and retire old elements and gear as needed
Collaborate with Development Team to secure grants as needed
Make all backpacking reservations and Quest reservations, update trip leader materials

Professional Development

Research and participate in relevant, ongoing, continuous professional development as it pertains to the role and/or business needs (e.g., training materials, coursework, webinars, etc.)

Training, Experience, Skills, and Qualities

Required

Minimum three years relevant experience leading wilderness programs or closely related programming.
Minimum two years experience managing and administering youth programs
Minimum two years of experience supervising staff
Risk management experience and good safety judgment
Proven ability to work with youth and communicate with parents
Experience supporting and managing families and/or other stakeholders
Diplomacy, tact and friendliness
Excellent and demonstrable communication skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Google Suite (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, etc.)
Required certifications or must be willing to acquire these certifications upon hire:
- CPR
- Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
- Lifeguard Training
- Challenge Course Advanced Skills and Standards certifications
- California Driver’s License

Preferred

Excellent supervisor/manager
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
Ability to take and implement feedback
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to work independently and make appropriate decisions in routine and emergency situations

Supervision

This position reports to the Camp Director

Software

This position will heavily use the following types of software:

Microsoft Office/Google Suite
Gmail and Google Calendar
CampMinder (camper/family database)

Physical Demands

The physical demands listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made that enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

Typing, writing, reading, hearing, seeing and speaking
Use of hands and fingers to operate office equipment, especially a computer
Standing, walking, kneeling, and frequent sitting with some lifting up to 30 pounds
Ability to go backpacking (carrying a backpack of approx 30 lbs) and hike 5-10 miles.
Ability to perform rescues on the high elements of the challenge course (aka ropes course) – training will be provided.
Living and working at Camp in the summer requires walking several miles per day on uneven terrain, working long hours, and being able to respond to emergencies in and out of Camp.

Worksite

This role is a hybrid position.
This position is expected to relocate to Camp Tawonga’s secondary location in Groveland, CA to work on-site during the Summer. They may also need to be on site for some other times of year as needed (see Special Requirements below).
Camp Tawonga will provide a company laptop, mouse, keyboard, and reasonable accommodations as needed to ensure the employee can work from home during the off season
Tawonga’s year round team currently works mostly remotely with a few days in the SF office per month and frequent trips to our Groveland site
During the summer months, while this role requires living at Camp, Tawonga will provide housing, meals and childcare

Work Environment

Noise level is moderate if working at camp property in Groveland, CA.

Special Requirements

Must be able to relocate to Groveland site May – August annually
May be required to work at Groveland site for other weekend program(s) as needed
Willingness to work on evenings, weekends and holidays as needed

Normal Working Hours

During the off-season, hours are flexible while completing tasks associated with job description, and while meeting deadlines; normal office hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. During the summer, the camp programmatic day runs from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., and sometimes longer.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties and/or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Job duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice based on the needs of Camp Tawonga.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt, year–round, and benefited position. The pay range for this position is $80,000 – $88,000, DOE. Camp Tawonga offers a competitive compensation package which includes medical, dental, life insurance, retirement with company match and contribution, and paid sick and vacation leave.

To Apply

To ensure consideration, please submit a resume and cover letter explaining your qualifications for and interest in the position. Send applications to applications@tawonga.org with Assistant Director, Wilderness Programs in the subject line. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and Tawonga is seeking to hire for this position as soon as possible.